Drier than 2012?

As the WEBER fire raged along the rim, a thousand points of light werevisible from smoldering embers along Weber Canyon last June.

By Jordyn DahlJournal Staff Writer

The deadly combination of below-normal precipitation and warmer-than-normal temperatures has local fire officials on edge and preparing for an active fire season.

Last year's Weber Fire, which burned 10,000 acres in Montezuma County, is still fresh in everyone's minds, but officials say this season could be worse.

"This fire season will just as bad as last year, if not worse, especially with the moisture levels on the western slope," said Jeff Vandevoorde, fire chief for the Cortez Fire Protection District.

The forecast for water inflow into McPhee Reservoir this year is 43 percent of average, said Mike Preston, general manager for the Dolores Water Conservancy District.

The mountains have below-average snowpack and what precipitation does run down is seeping into the extremely dry soil, he said.

The snowpack is running between 70 and 80 percent of normal, said Chris Cuoco, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, based in Grand Junction.

The wind and fluctuating temperatures diminish the snowpack further.

"At least through May and into June, we're probably going to have a higher-than-normal fire activity," Cuoco said. "The wild card there is how much lightning and rain we'll get when the storms start."

If the area doesn't have enough moisture, the lightning could spark more fires in the monsoon season, which typically starts in July.

While the area is dry, Southwest Colorado is better off than many other areas in the state and is listed as experiencing a moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Colorado tends to get heavy storms in March, but this year's weather has left the state barren.

Southwest Colorado is expected to get scattered rain showers and thunderstorms on Sunday with a stronger storm moving in on Monday, Cuoco said.

The storm could give higher elevations a "decent amount" of rain, but meteorologists aren't expecting any big storms after that.

The region could see a fire ban earlier in the season due to the dry conditions, Vandevoorde said.

Fire officials are starting to bring in crews that will be here throughout the summer.

The Bureau of Land Management has some seasonal staff starting in about a week with the rest of the seasonal staff starting April 22, said Scott McDermid, a fire management officer with the Dolores Public Lands office.

Three engine trucks will also be staffed out of Dolores seven days a week this summer, and the single-engine air tanker base in Cortez will be up and running at the beginning of May.

The 20-person San Juan hot-shot crew based out of Durango will be available later this month.

Fire and law enforcement officials in Montezuma County are urging residents to tread carefully when burning brush or other materials on their property, due to lingering dry weather.

There is no open fire ban in effect at this time. Cortez Fire Protection District Chief Jeff Vandevoorde said such a ban is at the discretion of the county commissioners, who receive regular input from the sheriff's office and fire chiefs.

Sheriff Dennis Spruell met with the chiefs of Cortez, Mancos, Dolores, Lewis-Arriola and Pleasant View districts in March, and Vandevoorde said Spruell agreed to leave the call up to them, as the fire experts.

"Conditions aren't good," Vandevoorde said, referring to the dearth of March precipitation. "The wind is picking up most days. If you burn, it's better in the early morning. Make sure you have a water source nearby. And call dispatch beforehand so they don't send (firefighters) out for no reason when someone sees smoke. Give them notice."

In the week from March 27 to April 3, of the 233 controlled burns called in, fire personnel responded to five that spiraled out of the landowner's control. Approximately 800 burns have been reported since January, said dispatch supervisor Lori Johnson.

"The end of March and through April is the height of burn season," Johnson said. "People like to get their spring clean-up done early to beat the burn ban ordinance."

To call in a controlled burn, call the Cortez Police Department at 565-8441 and ask for dispatch - the line is staffed around the clock. Johnson said residents who feel their neighbor's burning activities are threatening their own property are justified in reporting it.

Deputy Emergency Manager Paul Hollar wants residents to be mindful of hot ash left smoldering even after flames have been put out.

"If those embers are still there and a windstorm picks up, you can get into trouble," he said.

Hollar added that landowners should know their limits and not attempt to extinguish an out-of-control burn.

"Don't hesitate to call," he said, noting that the three burns gone awry last Saturday only charred several acres beyond their intended boundaries because firefighters responded quickly.

While all of Colorado is under drought conditions, according to April 2 data from the U.S. Drought Monitor, Southwest Colorado is faring the best of any region in the state, at "moderate drought." Much of the Front Range and Eastern Plains are currently classified as "extreme" or "exceptional" drought.

The Montezuma County commissioners instated a fire ban last year between June 9 and July 30. It was suspended after late July monsoon rains brought some level of moisture to the area after a bone-dry summer.

Private landowners are not alone in controlled burning activities. The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management frequently conduct prescribed burns to thin out overgrown wooded areas. The San Juan National Forest's Pagosa Ranger District, for example, torched 90 acres south of Chimney Rock National Monument on Wednesday. Dolores District Ranger Derek Padilla said no prescribed burns are planned on USFS land in Montezuma County at this time, but rangers have been clearing brush and doing some pile burning.